Hello Asean Hivers!
Welcome to my first ever "A Day In My Life" blog.
First thing in the morning while may kids and partner are still sleeping, I need to freshen up myself to start the day beautifully (😊). Ate mayo sandwich to fill my stomach before going to the market. My breakfast actually depends on my mood but I make sure that I'm eating enough all day.
I prefer going to the market early in the morning, as early as 8am to let my skin get some vitamin D from the sun while walking. The market here near us is not too strict facemask, QR code and normal temperature is enough to get in. I always bring my vaccination card anywhere I go, just for assurance.
Let me show you a glimpse of the market, the photos below are the stall where I usually buy.
Here's where I buy "kakanin"; they sell biko, ube, suman malagkit and kamoteng kahoy, buchi, bananaque, empanada etc. All of them are delicious!
At the front of this stall, there are rows of stalls selling cow's and pork's meat. It's best to buy meat in the morning specially at 6am because at this time the meats are all new and some time still warm. The next rows are selling chickens, frozen foods, fished and different kinds of seafood.
This is where I bought the mussels, and someone trust me. I bought 1kg mussels and when I give the bill the vendor said that he still don't have enough change for my money. I told him that I can leave the mussels first to him for a while 'cause I will be buying fish at the other stall. He said you can bring the mussels and the money, buy the things you need to buy then come back to pay for the mussels. I was too stunned to speak, I said to myself that "so this kind of person still exist". I'm glad that he trusted me though I have a chance to just go on my way and not pay him. After I bought the fish, I come back to his stall and pay him. I also said "Thank you Kuya (referring to older guy), salamat sa tiwala (Thank you for the trust). In the middle of this pandemic he still choose to trust a stranger, I hope he sells a lot.
I bought the fish here, their bangus is really delicious. Boneless bangus is perfect for "daing", where the fish is marinated in vinegar with a lot of crushed garlic, ground pepper and salt.
Rice stalls are near the exit, maybe because they are heavy to carry. At the exit there is also a pharmacy and the tricycles to ride home.
The reason why I decided to walk home is this heavy traffic, the time I was stuck there is almost the same if I walk home. Except for the expensive fare, walking is also an exercise to help me sweat and release the toxins in my body. Most of the time I was at home and I rarely exercise, if doing the chores can be called exercise then I guess that's my daily exercise.
I bought some fruits for our family, the bananas will only last after lunch. The apples and ponkan for my kids snack.
This is the boneless bangus and I'm going to marinate it in vinegar. I let it be cut to quarters. Daing is delicious if it was marinated few hours before cooking but overnight is the best. Frying both sides over medium heat until lightly brown, frying it too much will lose it's moisture.
This is how I cook "Tinolang Tahong":
We need sliced ginger, onion and minced garlic.
Bunch of chili leaves
Sautee ginger and garlic until lightly brown then the onion until translucent and fragrant.
Add water enough to cover the mussels, you can add more if you want. Let it simmer then add chili leaves. Don't forget to add salt to taste but using "Patis" (fish sauce) is better. Do not over cook the leaves.
We ate this with hot steamed rice, fried rice it delicious too. My kids love the soup of this dish. We must be careful in buying mussels, it can cause food poisoning if not fresh.
I usually bathe my kids before lunch so sometimes while the dish is simmering I'm also helping them take a bath. We eat after the dish is cooked.
While they are playing inside our room, I took the chance to take a nap. My lower back is killing me, I think I hurt my back while doing the laundry yesterday. At first, I ignore it thinking that I'm just tired so at night I put some pain relief patch.
I woke up in the afternoon and when I tried to get up it becomes more painful. Even when I go downstairs there's a stabbing or more like burning sensation at my lower back. I called "Ate M" and ask her if she is free so I can let her massage my back. Ate M is the one who massaged me after I gave birth from my 1st child to my 2nd child. After the massage is done, I feel more comfortable and I put another pain relief patch overnight.
I was not able to cook for the night so I ask help from our housemates (they are actually my in-laws) 😄. They agreed and let me take some rest. That's also a perks of living with the in-laws.
I learned a lesson this day the hard way, I think I really need to listen to my body. To ask help if needed and not to do everything as if I am as strong as the superwoman. A mother's body is really different from the body when I was not given birth yet, I don't know if I'm the only one who's feeling like this.
At the end of the day, I sleep together with my kids while my partner is still working online. We may not sleep all together at the same time but we make sure as parents that we can eat together.
That's all for today, see you on my next blog!
